Holding On
by tryanforever91
Summary: Holding on to hope was how Maxxie got through. Holding on to him was how Tony did. Tony/Maxxie.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:** Well hi there,

Holy crap, it's been over a year since I've posted anything on this site. Crazy crazy. Anyways, this is my first foray into the Skins world. After hearing about it from a friend last December, I downloaded and watched the first two seasons in their entirety. I was absolutely enthralled.

Needless to say, I fell head-over-heels in love with gay character Maxxie, and his wonderful little subplots (particularly the whole Russia ordeal). Thus I _had_ to write a story about him. So here we are. I don't want to give away too much of the story right now, but I plan on it being very long, so I'll let you guess where I'm taking this story.

A note to my regular readers: I'm horrible, I know. I'm starting yet another story when I've left so many hanging. I'll get to work on them, hopefully. I will admit though, I've lost a lot of motivation to write _A Story From East High_. I want to continue it, for your guys' sake, and to for my own as well. I did spend an inordinate amount of time planning it out, and I don't want to up and quit on a perfectly good story. Also you might find that, with this story, my writing may be a little sub-par. I think I'm slowly losing the writer part of me, and it's becoming less of a passion and more of a hobby. Which is really unfortunate, but what can you do. Anyways, I felt an obligation to myself to post this, to post something I was actually really inspired to write.

**Warning:** This story is rated Mature for explicit language and references to underage sex, drug use, and alcoholism. This story also deals with homosexual relations. If any of this bothers you, you are advised to not read.

**Spoiler Warning:** This story has obvious spoilers for both series 1 and 2 of Skins, and possibly some "Unseen Skins" episodes found online. Spoilers for specific Unseen Skins episodes will listed before each chapter. This story makes no references to series 3 or 4.

Wow I talk a lot. Anyways, my goal is to set out and write a really good fanfiction that does this wonderful and interesting pairing justice. There's a lot to be explored, and I want to explore it. I hope you all enjoy what I've come up with. Without further ado, I present my first Tony/Maxxie story.

* * *

**Holding On  
**_By tryanforever91  
_---

**-Chapter One-**

"Okay Max, let's run the second number."

"You got it, chief."

There was never any music during morning rehearsal. Maxxie didn't need it – the songs were constantly looping in his head from hearing them so often. In any case, they were only good for keeping the beat, and Maxxie had the rhythm down to an art. No, he preferred it quiet in the mornings. Well, as quiet as you could get it in an echoey studio with tap shoes on. The quiet helped him focus. There were so many thoughts banging around his head as of late, and what he really needed to do was to focus on nailing this number for the show. When you're flying through a tap routine at 200 beats per minute, you really don't have time to think about how your best friend's turned out to be a hypocritical homophobe, or how you hooked up with your friend's boyfriend on a field trip to Russia. There's nothing else to worry about like getting coursework in or studying for A-Levels. There's only a beat; coursing through your veins and bringing your body to life.

"Maxxie, you're brilliant!"

Holding the final pose for a moment, Maxxie smiled at his coach's reflection in the wall of mirrors in front of him. Panting slightly, he dropped his arms and spun around. "I think I've got it," he said happily.

"Got it? Jesus, you owned that one!" the older man proclaimed. "You're gonna kill on opening night."

"I hope so," Maxxie replied, reaching for a towel on the floor to wipe his face off. As he grabbed a water bottle and took a drink, he glimpsed the time off his watch and started. "Fuck me! I'm going to be late for class!"

"You want a ride, Max?" his dance coach asked, as Maxxie scrambled to get his things together.

"Nah, I like the walk. Gives me a little time to cool off."

"Well have a shower before you go, yeah? I reckon you stink after that performance." Maxxie nodded as he dashed away.

"Will do!" And with that, Maxxie bustled into the showers, stripped down, soaped up, rinsed off and left again, buttoning up his blue and black striped cardigan as he ran out of the dance studio.

The air outside was warm for a morning so late in autumn, but in spite of the fair weather, Maxxie still felt like he was walking under a storm cloud. No longer able to use dance to distract himself, an ocean of problems leaked back into Maxxie's mind, filtering through the walls that caged his thoughts. There were so many things to think, so many questions left unanswered, and an overhanging feeling of confusion that drained Maxxie of all emotion save for anxiousness and utter loss. It was a feeling Maxxie was quickly growing tired of, but answers were so hard to come by these days. It was as if all common sense had been left behind in Russia, leaving Maxxie to fend hopelessly for himself.

The gang touched down at London Heathrow Airport the previous Tuesday at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. After numerous run-ins with the local police, the field trip was cut short, and they were all sent packing. Everyone went home without even knowing what the whole purpose of the trip was.

The seven-hour flight home was a tense and awkward one. Conversation was scarce, and nerves were frayed. It was safe to assume that everyone just wanted to go home and forget that the whole trip even happened. At least, Maxxie was relieved to be back in England. Once they battled their way through customs (Sid miraculously made it through in one piece), the class was given strict orders to report to the college to attend classes as usual. Maxxie had no such intention. He arrived home to his apartment in Bristol some four hours later – horribly jet-lagged and miserable – collapsed onto his bed and slept. He was too exhausted (emotionally and otherwise) to do anything else, and that sleep was quite honestly the most blissful fourteen hours out of the entire trip.

The days at school that followed were dysfunctional at best. Everyone was still getting re-accustomed to their native time zone, and it wasn't uncommon to see someone nodding off during class. Maxxie was holding up well enough, but he was having other problems. He had not had a peaceful moment alone to mull over the million thoughts that were swirling around his head since he got back, and it was impossible to focus on anything other than Tony.

It didn't help in the slightest that Tony was acting as if nothing had even happened during the trip. For the most part, he was being his usual self – goofing off and causing trouble. It unnerved Maxxie. What he really wanted were some answers, but Tony was as mysterious and cryptic as ever.

He finally managed to corner Tony on Friday, before class let out for the weekend. In the hallway by Tony's locker, amongst a sea of other people, Maxxie confronted him.

"Hey, Tony. I wanted to ask you something," he started tentatively. Tony smiled expectantly.

"Ask away, Maxxie my dear." Maxxie tensed.

"Yeah, well, it's about that actually. Y'see, I was just wondering—"

"That's absolutely fascinating, Max," Tony interjected. "Glad we talked. I've got to run now, I hope we can do this again sometime." With that, Tony spun around and made to leave the dumbfounded blond behind.

"No, wait!" Maxxie reached out and grabbed Tony's hand. He wasn't about to let him get away now, after all the agony he had been through. He was absolutely desperate for an answer, and he would be damned if he let Tony get away again.

Tony was still for a second, not wriggling away like Maxxie expected. He turned around to face Maxxie again, making the blond boy jump when he squeezed his hand gently. Maxxie waited in wide-eyed anticipation as Tony opened his mouth to say something. It took him a few seconds.

"I hope," he started slowly, looking square into Maxxie's eyes, "we can do _this_ again sometime." Tony squeezed Maxxie's hand again, and nodded slightly toward his lower regions.

Maxxie gaped at Tony, completely thunderstruck. His muscles slackening, he let Tony's hand slip out of his own. The other boy drifted away slowly, disappearing into the thick crowds until Maxxie was left standing alone beside Tony's locker. He leaned his body against it and let out a long breath. He felt dizzy and out of sorts. His hand was still warm from Tony's touch, and those last words echoed endlessly in his ears. Tony really had a way with him.

It then hit Maxxie: he still didn't have any answers.

"_Fuck!"_

It was Tuesday again. The weekend did absolutely nothing for Maxxie other than drive him mad with the lack of anything that made sense of his situation. As he walked along the sidewalk from the studio to Roundview College, Maxxie pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and held it between his lips, not even pausing as he lit the end. He took in a long breath; dry, ashy air filling his lungs and calm seeping through his brain.

As it turns out, Maxxie wasn't late for class. Actually, he was early (he tended to walk fast when he was stressed). A knot of his friends were all standing by a tree on the school lawn, horsing around as usual. It actually made Maxxie smile a little, seeing all his friends laughing like they were. He hadn't seen much of that the past week, and it made him feel a little better about things. Tony had just tripped Chris when Maxxie made his way over, chuckling as Chris bumped against his legs. He looked down, smiling at his friend, when he felt two hands on his back.

"Hey Maxxie." The voice was unmistakable. One hand traveled down Maxxie's arm and rested on his hip.

"Mornin', Tony," Maxxie replied. "What are you doing?"

"Shush, Maxxie," Tony said as he snaked his other arm around Maxxie's waist. "I'm trying to do something."

Maxxie looked bewildered. "Yeah? And what's that?" He gasped when he felt a leg slip between his own, and a foot tapping against one of his.

"Move that foot, would you?" Tony ordered. "Spread your feet out a bit."

"Tone, what are you—"

"And put your arm up like that." Maxxie was not sure at all of what Tony was doing, but his hands were all over Maxxie's body, moving it about. "Yeah, that's good. And put your other arm there. No, out further." Tony was now leaning his head over Maxxie's left shoulder, with his arms encircling his midsection and a leg against his, pushing on it.

"What's the big idea, Tone?"

"Sh! Hold that pose, it's beautiful." Tony said. The next second, Maxxie's cigarette was gone from his mouth. Tony had stolen it, and was taking a few good puffs.

"Wh— hey!" Maxxie frowned at Tony, whose face was hovering mere centimetres from his own. "All that for my cigarette?" Maxxie was a little wary of Tony's close proximity. Any closer and they would be cheek to cheek. The heat that radiated off Tony made Maxxie's skin tingle. "You could have just asked, you know."

"Tony Stonem doesn't ask for things. He takes them, by whatever means possible," Tony declared, smirking at the blond. "Besides, this way was a lot more fun, don't you think?" Still smiling, he took the smoke out of his own mouth and placed it delicately back into Maxxie's, detaching their bodies as he did. Feeling Tony's body move away from his own, Maxxie could feel a familiar woozy feeling slowly overtake him.

Kenneth reached over to steal Maxxie's cigarette, blocking his view of someone in a yellow coat who was walking over. Already a little dazed, he was taken fully by surprise when he was pushed aside forcefully, and someone took a swing at Tony.

"_YOU DIRTY LITTLE FUCKER! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR TINY TWATTY COCK EVER AGAIN!" _

Tony staggered backwards into Chris, looking as shocked as everyone else. He held a hand to his face and looked about in confusion. Looking like he wanted to save face, Tony put on a smile and asked, "What's up, Nips?"

Bam. Kick to the sack. Tony crumpled onto the ground, letting out a loud yelp.

"I was waiting for you to tell me!" Michelle practically screamed. "Time's _up,_ you wanker!"

Maxxie's blood ran cold, and his cigarette fell from his slackened mouth. Michelle knew. Michelle – Tony's girlfriend – knew that they had hooked up during the Russia trip.

"Oh god," he whispered to himself, terrified beyond belief. Maxxie clutched his face as the others swarmed around Tony. This was bad. No, this was beyond bad; this was _catastrophic_.

"Jesus! What have you done this time?" Jal demanded, but Tony was in too much pain to answer. "Sid?" she barked.

"I dunno," he said earnestly.

"For Christ's sake!" Jal shouted, chasing after Michelle.

Maxxie eyes followed Jal as she ran to catch up with Michelle. He wondered if Michelle would tell her. Actually, Maxxie was afraid she might go and tell the entire school. Something had to be done.

"Tone, sh-shouldn't you, y'know, go after her?" he stammered. He hoped desperately that Tony knew of some way to fix this. Michelle was his girlfriend after all, and it was his bright idea to suck Maxxie off in the first place. He looked pleadingly at Tony.

To his horror, Tony just shrugged and smiled. "She'll come back," he said confidently.

_She'll come back?!_ That's all Tony had to say? Michelle looked ready to burn down the school; Maxxie had little doubt that she _wouldn't_ come back. He stared at Tony in disbelief.

"What?" Tony asked. "You don't trust me?" Maxxie looked at him solemnly.

"No," he mumbled. "I don't." Coming to the horrible realization that Tony was going to be completely useless, Maxxie decided he would have to take things into his own hands. In vain, he begged Tony one last time with his eyes. Tony's blinked, before turning away. Screw him, he wasn't going to help. Maxxie shook his head and stalked off.

As he strode across the green toward Michelle, Maxxie's stomach began to churn, and he could feel his eyes starting to sting. _Aw, fucking hell_, Maxxie cursed inwardly. Any faith he had in Tony had just been obliterated, and it killed Maxxie inside knowing that Tony was allowing this to happen to him. The two were never best friends, but Maxxie still felt horribly betrayed. He came to Tony because he thought he cared about him. Now Maxxie knew he had been horribly mistaken. He could feel the heat of anger smouldering within him, the same anger that lashed out at Anwar when he "decided to become a Muslim." Maxxie kicked at the ground. Were friends loyal at all anymore?

He found he had been walking faster than Michelle and Jal – his habitual speed-walking at work again – and he slowed down, as to not interrupt what sounded like a heated argument. Looking ahead, Maxxie could see Jal shake her head and turn away from Michelle.

"Cheers, Jal!" Michelle called out. "That's what friends are for, yeah?"

"Whatever, Chelle!" Jal shouted back. Looking quite put-out, she marched off, and Michelle sauntered the other way. Maxxie thought he had found his chance to talk to her, and meekly followed behind as Michelle leaned up against a tree, and slowly slid to the ground.

Approaching slowly and with caution, Maxxie tried to think of what he would say to Michelle. He had to try and convince her not to tell anyone.

"Chelle?"

Michelle let out a small sob. "Go away," she murmured. Undeterred, Maxxie knelt down so he was closer to Michelle's level.

"Please don't tell anyone," he pleaded, his voice strained with dread and remorse. "Everyone will think—"

"Think what, Max?" Michelle spat. "That you're a dirty little slut who fucks around with other people's boyfriends." It wasn't a question. It was a spiteful, icy statement that knifed through Maxxie and shook his resolve.

"I-I'm sorry," he replied pathetically. "I don't know what happened, he just..." Maxxie was trying valiantly to make things sound all right, but he was grasping at straws. "It was nothing," he tried to say assuredly. "Can we just pretend it didn't happen, yeah?"

In spite of himself, Maxxie could feel the hot singing in his eyes worsen, and he did his very best to fight back his tears. What he wouldn't give for Michelle to say yes; to forgive Maxxie and carry on with Tony. _Please_, he begged in his mind. _Please._

Michelle closed her eyes again and shook her head. "Go away," she whispered, resting her head on the tree behind her. Maxxie's insides wrenched, as if Michelle had socked him a good one in the stomach. No, it couldn't be like this. He wanted to make her understand! He didn't want to go away; he could beg all day if that's what it took.

Michelle clearly was not going to have any of it, though. Although he didn't want to accept the fact, maybe it was for the better if Maxxie just took her advice. Rationalizing with her seemed like a fool's errand. He wasn't going to sway her. Not now, at least. Trying to collect himself, Maxxie pulled himself upright and slowly walked away from Michelle, trying to quell the gnawing feeling of failure in his gut.

As he walked away on stilted legs, the gnawing sensation gave way to a numbing sense of loss. He still had not gotten a straight answer from Tony, and now Michelle was upset with him. What's worse, Maxxie had not even spoken to Anwar all week. Nothing was getting solved, and his problems were only multiplying. Unable to contain himself any longer, Maxxie covered his face with his hands and sobbed quietly, streams of tears trickling into his palms. He quickened his pace and started to run. Tearing across the green, he tried to avoid being seen by people in his wretched state. He needed to get away. He didn't want to be around his friends when he was like this, nor did he want to see Tony or Michelle. He needed to disappear, and not feel like a complete fuck up anymore. He couldn't stay and wait around for people to start judging him when everyone found out that Maxxie Oliver was a big cock sucking slut. Running off the school property, Maxxie's feet pounded the pavement. He cried all the way home.

* * *

**A/N:** Thus ends the first chapter. What did you think? I made great efforts to try and match my writing as accurately to the show as possible (meticulously playing and replaying certain parts, sometimes going frame-by-frame). I wanted the details I added in to fit with the timeline and the overall mood of the episode (episode 7: "Michelle," to be exact). I'm a real stickler for keeping things as canon as possible (well, lately anyways).

However, there are a few iffy details I wasn't quite sure what to do with. When Maxxie first arrives, I'm not exactly sure what Tony is doing, but it looked to me like he was moving Maxxie around into an odd pose and stealing his cigarette, so I went with it. All that does happen in the episode though, down to Tony holding Maxxie's hips. Also, I'm not even sure if what Maxxie is smoking is a joint or tobacco. I'm a horribly sheltered kid, and I've never touched either before. However, I don't want my characters stoned all the time (that'd make for a pretty crappy story), so I went with the safer route.

Also, when Michelle punches Tony, I got the line "You dirty little fucker, I never want to see your tiny, twatty [blank] ever again." I wasn't really quite sure what she said. My two best guesses were "gob" and "cock," which doesn't make much sense to me either way. I looked up every possible definition of "gob" and came up with a slang term for mouth, a small lump, and spit. Cock didn't seem very fitting either. If I were in her position, I'd be more concerned about his lying face or something. It's not like she sees his dick all the time anyways. So, if anyone could explain that, that would be cool.

Also, I forgot to write in Maxxie's skateboard, but I figured that was an inconsequential detail that didn't merit me rewriting anything.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter (sorry for talking so much. Bad habit). A review would be absolutely lovely. Bear in mind, this is the first completed chapter I've written in a year, so I need all the criticism I can get. I tried to weave in enough original material so I wasn't just rewriting the episode. I hope I maintained a good balance.

That's all for now. As far as updates go, I don't know how often I'll be able to get them up. Classes start tomorrow, but I have a really easy load this semester. It's all wholly dependent on how much time I have to devote to school, and how much inspiration I get. I'm really feeling this story though, so I expect to be churning it out rather quickly. Keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, please leave a few words – a helpful pointer or a nice comment, anything really.


	2. Under Control

**Author's Note: **I'm back with chapter two! I'm really sorry that took so long, I really didn't mean to take a whole month with this update. Not to make excuses or anything, but I got caught up with work-related stuff. A big THANK YOU to all you wonderful people who reviewed. I'm really glad you all liked it. It's really motivating to have such a positive reaction. It's also reassuring to know that there are Tony/Maxxie fans out there. I was so surprised with the lack of Tony/Maxxie here. I would have thought such an adorable duo would have way more fans.

Anyways, about this next chapter. To be honest, I was almost dreading to write this chapter, which is really rare so early into a story. I hope it doesn't show too much in my writing, although I definitely feel like it's a little weak in some places (or... overall... I dunno). That said, this chapter is considerably longer than the first. The first chapter was annoyingly short, as I usually like to keep them longer. I just hope the quantity doesn't belie the quality. There's a lot of plot covered in this chapter, hence the length, so I hope you'll enjoy it just the same.

**

* * *

**

**-Chapter Two-  
Under Control**

Everyone was silent.

Tony could feel the others' eyes on him, as they hovered around him and wondered what to make of the situation. Fleeting whispers slipped just outside his range of hearing; mumbled questions that dared not be asked out loud. As annoying as that might have been, Tony was decidedly unconcerned. His eyes – still watering from the throbbing pain in his groin – were trailing the hunched figure of Maxxie as he shuffled away dejectedly. He looked at the other boy, head bowed and hands pocketed, and felt a tiny inkling of pity for him. Pity that he didn't trust Tony, that is. And really, why shouldn't Maxxie trust him? Tony was completely confident in what he had told Maxxie, and as far as he was concerned, Maxxie was worrying over nothing. Michelle _would_ return to him, one way or another. To think otherwise was just a testament to Maxxie's ignorance. People always had a way of coming back sooner or later, even if Tony had to prod them in the ass a bit. He'd show Maxxie – everything would be just fine. Eventually.

In the interim, Tony would have to deal with the pangs of discomfort that were currently plaguing both his body and his gut. He wasn't sure what hurt more: the monumental blow to his ego, or Michelle kicking him in the 'nads.

"What the hell was that?" Chris finally asked, breaking the silence that everyone was so adamant about keeping. Tony didn't look at him when he replied, his eyes still on Maxxie.

"Michelle," he replied simply. He had little desire to divulge any other answers to his friends' incessant questioning, and he pushed through their little huddle of awkwardness and stalked away. He had things to take care of. As Tony limped away, he could hear Sid asking him if he needed any help. Tony scoffed at the very idea. As if he was so helpless as to require assistance, especially from someone like Sid. He was managing just fine, thank you very much. Ignoring his friends' offers for help, Tony hobbled across the green toward the school. Making his way to the entrance, he could hear the ragged yelling of Michelle and Jal ringing through the breezy autumn air. Fucking Michelle. She could be a right nasty bitch sometimes.

_Then again,_ Tony thought, _I guess I did cheat on her with a boy. In front of her_. In his defense, Michelle should have been good and passed out when it happened. With the way she was stumbling around, Tony surmised that Michelle had plenty more to drink that night than she would have been able to handle. However, that was a little beside the point now that she was screaming her head off about it for the entire college to hear.

Once inside, Tony did not take the path to the nurse's station as someone else might have. Instead, he headed for the kitchen. As he walked down the hallway, Tony could hear some half-whispered remarks going back and forth between people as he passed them.

"Geez, what happened to Tony?"

"Do you think he got beat on by some chav?"

"That sure is an ugly welt. D'you reckon he'll get a black eye?"

_Wankers_, Tony grumbled to himself. He took a while longer than he should have getting to his destination, having to limp there with a sore crotch. When he did, he waited for the corridor to clear before he slipped through the metal doors and into the school kitchen.

The kitchen, as one might expect, was drowning in a cacophony of clanging pots and sizzling fry-food. The cooks were so concentrated on their work that they hardly noticed the gangly brunet as he slipped through the room. Tony crept to the back of the kitchen, where the massive refrigeration rooms were. Looking about himself surreptitiously, he took hold of the giant refrigerator door and pulled it open quickly, slipping inside as he did. Once he was out of sight, he closed the door and locked it behind himself. Not a single person noticed.

The cafeteria's refrigerator was about the same size as a standard broom cupboard (Tony would know, he had snuck into plenty of those too). Bumping around in the dark, he searched with his hands and his limited vision until he stumbled across the very thing he was looking for. He kicked the box once or twice, hearing its contents bump around. They were probably those horrid frozen meat pies they served every Thursday. Satisfied, he stood over the box with a foot on either side. Then, carefully, he lowered himself until he could feel the frigid aura of the box on his tender genitals. It felt odd, but it was certainly better than holding a melting bag of ice to his balls all day. That would be one indignity too many for a single morning. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Ahh, yeeah. That's the stuff."

Now perched on a box of savoury pies, alone in a giant fridge, Tony took a moment to cool down (in more than one sense of the phrase). The room's insulation doubled inadvertently as soundproofing, thus it was very quiet. As idle minds tended to do in the absence of company and noise, Tony's began to drift into a web of thoughts that spun in his head around his distraught girlfriend and Maxxie.

Now that Michelle knew about his experimental escapade with Maxxie, something had to be done to maintain the peace. Tony knew how annoyingly sensitive Michelle was about the sanctity of their relationship. This was slightly problematic, as he neither expected nor wanted her to find out about Maxxie; he was hoping he could just sweep it under the rug and carry on as normal. Life was rarely that perfect though. Still, he wasn't going to lose his head over it. That never got anyone anywhere. Now was the time to set forth another brilliant plan. There was no need to get so melodramatic. _Girls are so irrational_, Tony mused. _Gays too._ While everyone else was bawling their eyes out, Tony was coming up with a rather simple explanation that would fix everything: Maxxie, in an act of drunken confusion, had seized an unsuspecting Tony and made a move on him. Tony, being the genuinely good friend that he is, tried to placate the drunk and angry Maxxie, and with no obvious alternative, he obliged the boy's carnal desires. Regrettable as it was that he cheated on his girlfriend, she would understand that it was a noble act with good intentions. In no time at all, Michelle would get over it, and she and Tony could resume their friendship and Maxxie would know what a good friend Tony really was.

There. Problem solved.

Shifting around on his box, Tony was relieved to feel the pain in his groin already subsiding. However, that annoying weight in his stomach did not lift. He still did not know where it was coming from, but he assured himself that once he explained everything to Michelle he would feel a lot better. At least, he hoped so. It was hard to be sure of things now. His friends were growing wiser, people were losing their naïveté. He just hoped he could get through to Michelle before he had to think of something brilliant to tell the others too. He needed to keep this between as few people as possible.

Tony didn't know whether to blame it on the Russia trip or not, but something was definitely changing...

It wasn't until Tony gave an involuntary shiver that he noticed he had been in the fridge for around twenty minutes now. His sensitive areas were all but numb from the cold, and the rest of his body was breaking out in goose bumps. Rubbing his hands together, Tony was surprised at how distracted he had gotten. Carefully, he stood himself slowly on his feet again. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall over, he limbered up his cold limbs and made for the door. Pulling it open just a crack, Tony peered into the kitchen to make sure the coast was clear. It wasn't.

Tony jumped when he saw one of the lunch ladies making her way over to the fridge. He looked about himself hurriedly for a place to hide. There wasn't much. The room was perfectly square, and the shelves that lined the walls were packed full with boxes. Tony knew he had just another second to spare. Finally, he spotted an empty space under a metal wire shelf, just big enough to squeeze into. He dove to the floor and shimmied into the tiny space. He tried his best to cram his whole body in, but it was a tighter fit than he approximated.

_Damn these long, sexy legs of mine_. At the very last second, Tony squeezed himself together and managed to fit himself into his hiding spot. Not a moment later, the door swung open, and Tony watched the feet of a stout cafeteria worker waddle across the room and pick up the very box he was sitting on. She gave the box a shake or two and lifted the flap to peek inside. She looked concerned.

"Marnie!" the lunch lady called out. "The pies are all warm. Have you been closing the door properly?"

Tony didn't hear Marnie's answer, but whatever it was, it apparently was not very satisfactory. Grumbling to herself about the thermostat, the lunch lady toted her box and left the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

Although he was squeezed quite tightly, Tony was able to pop himself out from under the shelf without much trouble. Picking himself up again, he smiled to himself in a congratulatory salute to his resourcefulness. Tony Stonem had won again. He was running a bit late now, so Tony made quick work of vacating the kitchen and dashing off to Psychology.

Mysteriously, both Michelle and Maxxie were not present in class. Tony decided to believe that Michelle was off somewhere whoring attention, or drinking her PMS-induced teen angst away in some derelict corner of the school. Michelle never took things with much poise, a fact that was proven to Tony far more times than he cared to recount.

As for Maxxie... well, Tony was not exactly sure. When he really thought about it, Tony had never known Maxxie to get upset. Ever. So what Maxxie did when he _was_ upset was a bit of a mystery. Tony didn't really spend a whole lot of time with his blond, gay friend. He had been spending a lot more time with him more recently though, mostly now that they were both in college. Maxxie was a lot of fun to have at parties. When he wasn't pissed off, Maxxie was a wonderful drunk, and out of anyone, he loved dancing the most. Still, Friday-night Maxxie was only one side of him, and it wasn't a side he was showing now. Well, he wasn't showing any sides at the moment, seeing how he wasn't even in class. At the very least, Tony expected that Maxxie wasn't cavorting around the school making a fuss like his girlfriend did so infamously. Whatever Maxxie was doing, Tony needed to see him too. He had to let Maxxie know that what happened that night in Russia was nothing, meaningless. He couldn't let Maxxie start thinking the wrong ideas; although, he felt slightly uneasy about letting the boy down. Amongst the many differences between Maxxie and his girlfriend, the biggest would have to be that, unlike Michelle, Maxxie was not a dumb lamb that would listen to Tony's every word and accept it so easily as the truth. Maxxie was too smart for that.

While Tony pondered what Maxxie was doing, and where he was hiding, Angie was going on about some sort of presentation. Her shrill, Welsh accent pierced through his thoughts, and he was just barely aware of what she was saying to know that he had to write on the topic of 'the role of compromise in healthy relationships' for an oral presentation tomorrow. That's when the light bulb went off in Tony's head.

That was it! Screw compromise; Tony was going to let Maxxie know what the role of sex was in power relationships. Angie wouldn't even know that Tony tweaked his assigned topic; she was so lost in her own world of dreamy-eyed stares and constant phone calls from a mystery admirer that she wouldn't even notice if Tony did his presentation naked. And this way, Tony would be able to tell Maxxie what his true intentions were and not have to pay the consequences that a one-on-one confrontation might bear.

More importantly, Tony didn't like the look in Maxxie's eyes when he walked away earlier that morning, and he didn't want to have to face it again. There was a lot of hurt in those eyes, something not many people expected Tony to notice, but he did. He noticed, and he didn't like it.

Things were coming together now. He had his story for Michelle all planned out in his head, he knew what he was going to tell Maxxie, and how; if only the two were actually around so Tony could just get it over with and call it a day! There was so little time in a lifetime for it to be wasted on petty drama. He could be having sex right now instead.

Tony made up his mind. He would ring up Michelle after Psychology. He didn't have the time to go hunting for her; he would just call her and tell her everything she needed to know.

-o-o-o-

Jal and Sid were walking down the hallway, side-by-side, clutching their books and pushing through the crowds.

"So, what is it then?" Sid asked.

"Can't tell you that," Jal replied, not looking at Sid. He sighed.

"Come on, Jal," he protested. "I know Tony and Chelle have their fair share of fights, but this is something really serious, isn't it?"

"Probably."

"Probably?" Sid repeated. "Are you saying you don't know?"

"I'm not saying anything," Jal replied. Sid let out a frustrated grunt, cursing the fact that girls never gave a straight answer. She knew. She had to know. She went after Michelle after she stormed off that morning, and she definitely told Jal _something_. The two were best friends anyways, weren't they? Truth be told, Michelle didn't treat Jal like a best friend all the time, but she was her main confidant, this Sid knew for sure. If anyone was going to know, it had to be Jal.

"Did Tony cheat on her?" he finally asked. There came no snippy response this time. "He did, didn't he?"

"And if he did?" Jal said.

Sid smiled darkly. "To be honest, I'm surprised Michelle's so upset. Tony's obvious enough about it sometimes."

"Maybe to you," Jal snapped, "but you're not in love with him, are you?"

"And you're saying Michelle is?" Sid retorted.

"What? Of course she is! What sort of question is that?"

Sid shrugged. "Dunno. I guess she doesn't act like it sometimes."

Jal shot Sid a suspicious sidelong glance. "You're making that up, aren't you?"

"What?" Sid exclaimed. Jal snickered.

"Come off it, Sid," she said. "You're just saying that because you like Michelle." Sid started.

"No I don't!" he stammered. "I mean, I do, but it's not... that's not why, okay?"

"Sure, Sid, sure," Jal said, grinning and rolling her eyes. Sid folded his arms and humphed.

"I'm telling you, that's not why," he persisted. "I'm just saying, sometimes I wonder if Michelle really does love Tony." He looked hopefully at Jal, wondering if she would actually take him seriously. At least she wasn't laughing anymore. "I'm serious, Jal."

"All right," she said. "I believe you." There was a moment's silence in which Jal thought quietly to herself for a few steps. "They've always been a dysfunctional couple, I suppose."

"Yeah, they have," Sid said, relieved that Jal was finally agreeing with him.

"But Michelle still loves him," Jal said firmly, and with a certain finality in her tone that didn't encourage another retort from Sid. He got the hint and, grudgingly, dropped the argument. "She loves him, and whatever Tony did, it's not good." Sid frowned.

"But I thought you said—"

"I said I'm not telling you anything," Jal interrupted. She looked at Sid pointedly, whose face was a mixture of exasperation and disappointment. "Look, this is between Tony and Michelle, all right? I know you like Michelle, but you need to butt out. Michelle's got enough on her plate as it is, and you're only going to make things worse."

Sid prickled at that last statement. _'Make things worse?'_ Well, that made Sid feel spectacular; Jal always knew what to say. He eyed the girl contemptuously out of the corner of his eye, wearing an expression of smug superiority. Jal always had to be right, and she always had to be snooty about it. Sid grunted. Well, she wasn't _always_ right, and he didn't want to believe she was right about this. Sid would not just _make things worse_ this time. He was going to do something right for once, and he was going to help Michelle. He was going to prove himself, if just this once. And he was going to wipe that stupid look off Jal's face.

"I'm going to the library now," Jal announced suddenly, bringing Sid out of his spiteful reverie. "Coming?"

Sid shook his head. "Nah, I never go there," he replied. "I don't really do books."

"And that's why you're failing History," Jal quipped, again with that look on her face. Before Sid had any time to react, Jal had already turned down another hall. "Remember, Sid, keep out of it, yeah?"

"Whatever," Sid grumbled back. Jal disappeared down a flight of stairs and was out of sight before long. Sid continued on his way, his head bowed in concentrated thought. He was still sulking about what Jal had said. Caught up in his thoughts, he was totally unaware as he walked right into another person and stumbled backward a few steps. "Oh gosh, sorry—" Sid looked up to see who he had collided with, "–Tony ."

If Jal looked smug, it was nothing compared to Tony.

"Oh, Sidney," the taller boy sighed, clapping a hand to Sid's shoulder and leading him down the hall, "maybe one day you won't have to bow your head in embarrassment so you can actually see where you're going."

"I wasn't embarrassed—"

"That's surprising."

"–I was thinking."

"Well, I'm sure it wasn't important anyway," Tony said bluntly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Have you heard from Michelle at all?"

Sid slowed his pace and frowned at his friend. Funny Tony should ask, especially right after talking about the same thing with Jal not two minutes before. "No, I haven't," he replied. Tony made an annoyed sound.

"Bugger. She's not been answering her phone all day." Sid stared at Tony.

"Can you blame her?" he exclaimed. "I don't know if you've noticed, Tone, but she's a little pissed off at you at the moment." Tony waved a hand and smiled.

"Oh, Sid. You worry too much," he said in a carefree tone. "Michelle will be just fine. Just as soon as she answers her sodding phone," Tony added in frustration, pulling out his cell phone and punching redial.

Sid was amazed at Tony's ignorance. Could he get any more insensitive? Obviously, Sid didn't have the foggiest idea of what was going on between the resident supercouple, but he knew that whatever it was, it was probably better if Tony wasn't ringing Michelle up every five minutes. He decided to take a leaf out of Jal's book.

Sid turned to look at Tony, who was looking hopeful as he pressed his phone to his ear. Sid could hear the ringing stop for Michelle's voicemail. Tony's face darkened, and he snapped his phone shut.

"Y'know, Tone. Maybe you shouldn't be calling her."

"And why not?" Tony asked, looking at Sid like he had given the stupidest suggestion ever.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you right now. She isn't answering her phone, is she?" Again, Tony laughed.

"Sid, one day you'll learn, that's just the way girls operate. They never talk to you when they want to. You have to keep bothering them until they do."

"You think?"

Tony shook his head. "Just trust me, Sid. I've got everything under control." And with that, Tony flipped his phone open again and hit redial. "Hey, Nips! Pick up! I know you want to! Just pick up the damn phone!" As he continued, he drifted away from Sid and went his own way, his voice still ringing through the buzzing masses that filled the hall. "I can hit redial all day you know! Please, answer!" Sid shook his head. _Everything under control, eh?_

Sid found himself near the front doors of the college, so he decided to sit on the green for a bit and mull over his thoughts. He wasn't liking this situation between Tony and Michelle, and he didn't know why, but he got the feeling that they weren't the only ones tangled up in this mess. Stepping across the cement pavement around the green, he heard a familiar voice from around the corner.

"Maxxie? Where have you been all day? Are you all right? What? No, Tony hasn't said anything. Max, what's going on? Are you okay?"

It was Jal.

Sid rounded the corner and found her crouched against the wall with her phone to her ear. She was looking very concerned as she listened to Maxxie on the other end of the line. "What? Why are you sorry? I don't understand, Maxxie, what are you on about?" Jal gasped loudly when she realized she wasn't alone anymore. "Shit! Sorry, Max, can I call you back?" Jal fumbled around with her phone and shoved it into her sweater pocket.

"Having fun at the library?" Sid said. Jal made a face.

"I was worried about Maxxie," she said. "He hasn't been at school since this morning." She stood up and brushed herself off. "Thanks for saying hi, by the way," she complained. "It's good to know I can talk on the phone without you eavesdropping on me."

"I was standing right here," Sid replied. He gave Jal the slightest hint of a grin. She glared back at him, but it didn't last very long. Worry overtook her expression once more, and she wringed her hands.

"Something's wrong with Maxxie," she said. "Do you have any idea what it could be?" Sid scratched his head thoughtfully. He shook his head.

"Dunno." Jal let out a frustrated breath.

"You're useless."

"I am not!" Sid protested. Determined to prove Jal wrong, Sid tried to think of something. Now that he looked back on it, Maxxie wasn't looking so hot after Michelle and Tony's big confrontation. He remembered Maxxie asking Tony something, if he was going after Michelle or something, and Tony said no. Then Maxxie just left. "He did seem a bit down this morning."

"What, before or after Michelle?"

"After," Sid replied. "Didn't you see him? He looked pretty happy before Michelle came and tore Tony's head off." Jal looked surprised at this observation. _Ha! Take that, snootypants._

"Yeah, he did," Jal said distantly. "Him and Tony, actually. They were both pretty..." Jal faltered.

"Pretty what?" Sid questioned.

"...Flirty."

Sid was taken aback by Jal's choice of wording, but he shrugged it off. "That's Tony for you, isn't it?"

"I guess," Jal said, still in that far-off voice, like she was thinking really hard about something. Sid wasn't going to pretend he knew what she was thinking, but he was getting an odd feeling.

"Jal, you don't think..." Sid didn't know how he was going to finish that question. It seemed a little outrageous. "I mean, you're not suggesting..."

"What happened on the first day of the Russia trip?" Jal interrupted suddenly.

"Russia?" Sid parroted dumbly. "Uhh... we settled into our rooms? Or, prison cells more like."

"Right. And you and Tony were bunking together?"

Sid shook his head. "No, Tony and..."He stared at Jal, and it finally dawned on him what Jal was thinking. "No," he breathed.

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Jal replied, looking very uneasy about the conclusion she had just drawn. Her eyes were locked with Sid's, who too was starting to look very concerned.

"_If_ you're thinking what I think you're thinking—"

"Then we've got a real problem," Jal finished. Sid swallowed.

"But that can't be it," he argued feebly. "This is Tony we're talking about." Jal raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, exactly," she said pointedly. "Tony."

Sid looked at Jal in stupefied amazement. That did make sense.

-o-o-o-

Maxxie hung up his phone, and rolled over on his bed, which was dotted all over with little beads of water. A sudden surge of indignation swelled in his gut, and he hurled his phone across the room. It hit a picture frame with a sharp crack, and a picture of Tony tumbled to the floor.

* * *

**A/N:** I was unsure of exactly where I wanted to take this chapter, particularly concerning Sid and Jal. I rewrote their scenes over and over, and I still don't think I'm totally satisfied with the result. I don't know, what do **_you_** think?

Another big reason I was neglecting this chapter was that it didn't feature Maxxie at all. I felt it was necessary to take the focus off him for this chapter, but it made it harder to write. I hope it didn't make it any less enjoyable to read. I felt the need to elaborate more on Tony's side of the story, and to explore his character a bit. His parts of the chapter are the ones I'm more fond of. He's a fun character to write.

Anyways, that's all I really have to say about this chapter. I hope you all liked it, but that being said, please don't be afraid to lay on the criticism! I'm a far cry from perfect (these days, I'm a far cry from decent), so I really want you guys to be merciless in your critiques. It'll make for a better story in the end. Otherwise, your general thoughts on the story are always appreciated; what you really liked and why. Feedback is crack to authors. They thrive on it.

As for the next update, I'm not sure when it'll get pumped out. I don't know if you're all aware (I'm hoping you are) but the 2010 Winter Olympics are starting in mere days. **_In my hometown!_** So you'll understand if I'm a little distracted this month. I do in fact have tickets to some events, including the _opening and closing ceremonies!_ I'm pretty fucking stoked. I'm also starting some new classes this month that'll take up a huge chunk of my time. So, I'll try my darndest to write the next chapter (I might even start now, while I still have a spare moment to breathe), but don't lose hope if I end up not updating within the next few weeks.

Anyways, enough jibber jabber from me. Thanks a heap for reading! Please leave a review, and I'll see you next time.

Oh, and I wish I didn't have to remind you, but please, no flames. If you feel so strongly against what I'm writing, why are you even wasting your time on it in the first place? Just keep your bs to yourself and we can all get on with our lives.

Okay, that's all! Later!


End file.
